It was over 17,000 miles. Eight trains, Eight planes, two taxis, and countless buses. These feet walked 170 miles. All this travel was for one. Just me and my curiosity looking for new sights and sounds, new feelings and experiences.
It was liberating and it was difficult. My mom stood at the entrance of security and watched me zig zag through the line ropes, not quite ready to let me fly solo. After I passed through the metal detector and snatched my backpack off the belt I became a solo traveler.
When I got to Scotland, I was very jet lagged, but determined to start an adventure and peel myself out of the safety of my walnut shell. So, I got on a bus and went to the city. Of course, I got lost, but that is part of the beauty, figuring things out on your own.
By the end, I traveled between three countries for three weeks: Ireland, France, and the UK. Most of my time was spent in Scotland, but the trips to Ireland and France were really what stretched me. In Ireland I had the best time of my whole trip, driving along the coast of a peninsula with a new friend and his dog. In France I had delayed trains, unexpected stays in Paris, flooded museums and metros, and a broken down bus. Most my time was spent lost in Paris, but that is what stretched me the most and perhaps one of the most memorable times of the trip.
I will never be the same after my solo travel experience. It changed me, gave me a new breath of independence and a new pep in my step. After many mishaps and glorious moments, I am confident I can get out of just about any pickle from missed trains to drunk people. By the end it almost became natural, like I had been solo traveling my whole life.
Now I am home and would love to be walking down cobblestone streets or eating crepes on the streets of Paris, but I know that one day I will go on another trip and have new challenges and new memories made. Home is where I need to be now, but I am different after solo traveling. The experience never really leaves because it changes you, forever being weaved into the fabric of your life.
Just go. If you are a home body or in constant need of a person beside you, just go and experience the world on your own. Trust me, you will make new friends on your travels, friends you most likely would not have made if you were traveling with a companion. You will be challenged, but each challenge will give you more confidence. It exercises your critical thinking and inspires you to do those things you’ve always wanted to do but felt you never could do.
The world is different when it is just you.
There is a time for traveling with companions, during honeymoons and family vacations. Those trips with someone else are magical too. It grows relationships by giving you each moments that are just between you. Sharing what you see can be just as lovely as solo travel.
But now is the time. You are young, perhaps single, and you don’t have a job that ties you down and dictates your schedule. Even if you have those things, make time for solo travel because your growth is worth it.
Just go and see the world with one set of eyes.
